The Proposal
by Imagine69
Summary: Newt sends Theseus a mysterious owl, asking to meet in the dodgy back alleyway behind the Leaky Cauldron. Theseus is highly suspicious. Note that in this universe, Queenie never joins Grindelwald and Leta survives.
1. Recruiting Theseus

Theseus thought Newt's owl was highly peculiar.

_Theseus,_

_Meet me outside the back door of the Leaky Cauldron tonight at 9 pm. Don't tell any of your colleagues. Stay away from Queenie if possible, but if not, tell her that she mustn't say anything to Tina and that I'll speak to her about it later. It's important._

_Newt _

For Newt to want to meet his older brother was highly irregular. Usually, it was Theseus chasing after Newt, reminding him about birthdays and Christmases, and trying (and failing) to get him to come to dinner with himself and Leta. But this time, Newt was the one asking to meet. What extraordinary initiative.

It was also strange that Newt should send an owl at all. If Newt had something to say, he'd generally show up unannounced, make his statement, and leave before any societal niceties could be forced upon him. Or, he'd just write down what he wanted to say and sent it with the owl.

But this time, Newt was being mysterious; Theseus had no idea what he was on about. He just hoped it wasn't to do with smuggling illegal creatures into the country. And to meet in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldon? Highly suspicious.

The instruction to stay away from Queenie made sense. Even with Occlumency and a British accent, Theseus could never be sure whether the Ministry's newest secretary was reading his mind. But what did Newt care if Queenie knew that Theseus was meeting his brother tonight?

It turned out that it didn't matter anyway. Theseus was so overwhelmed with paperwork that he never left his office, and the only one offering him tea and biscuits that day was a house elf. At 8:55 pm, he set aside his unfinished safety documentation and made his way down to the Atrium to find a fireplace.

Newt was already waiting behind the Leaky Cauldron. He was seated on a rickety chair at a small table, on which there were two steaming mugs of Butterbeer.

'Hello Newt.'

'Hello Theseus.' Newt sounded nervous for some reason. Theseus hoped fervently that he wasn't about to propose some complicated and highly illegal scheme to bring in a dragon or something. Newt gestured at the mugs, 'I ordered Butterbeer. The bartender was kind enough to set up a table out here for us.'

Theseus rubbed his hands together to warm them. He sat on the chair opposite Newt and took a sip of his Butterbeer gratefully.

'So. Why did you want to meet me here?' Theseus asked, eyeing Newt carefully. Newt wasn't making eye contact, as usual, but glancing up from his untouched Butterbeer repeatedly. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands – they travelled alternately to his mug and the edge of the table where his fingers tapped incessantly.

'Well, you see, Theseus, I need your help.'

Theseus suppressed a sigh of exasperation. 'What have you got yourself into now, Newt?'

'Nothing!' he said with indignation. 'Well, maybe something.'

Theseus raised his eyebrows and gestured for Newt to continue.

Newt took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. But no sound came out. He tried again, and his sentence came out in one breath, all jumbled together, 'I-need-to-propose-to-Tina-and-I-want-to-make-it-special-so-I-need-her-out-of-the-way-but-she-can't-know-anything.'

Despite over two decades of decoding Newt's speech, Theseus still couldn't make this out.

'Come again?'

Newt took a deep breath and repeated himself more slowly. 'I want to propose to Tina, but she can't find out what I'm up to until I'm ready.'

Theseus' first reaction was relief. No dragons after all. His second reaction was a mix of delight, excitement and that bittersweet sense of 'my baby brother's all grown up'.

'Of course, Newt,' Theseus said with a grin. 'How can I help?'

Relieved that he'd finally told Theseus his intentions, Newt dove into his explanation with enthusiasm. 'Well, I want it to be somewhere special to us both, so I plan to create a separate space in the basement. I'm going to ask Queenie and Jacob to help me with it, but Tina can't know. So I need you and Leta to keep her occupied at work for the next week. Have her stay late or go out for dinner with the Auror department. Anything that keeps her distracted so she won't discover what I'm doing.'

Theseus nodded slowly, taking this on. 'So basically, your plan is to make her an enclosure like one of your beasts?' he asked.

It wasn't immediately evident from his tone that he was only teasing, so Newt panicked. 'No, not like that! Just a special space – like I said, Queenie and Jacob are going to help so you needn't worry at all, and – Theseus!'

Theseus couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and Newt glared at him, annoyed.

'Don't worry, Newt, I'll help you,' he chortled. 'I'll tell Leta about it when I get home. You'd better get to Queenie soon though, or she's bound to find out from one of us at work tomorrow.'

Newt nodded, 'She's doing more Legilimency experiments with the creatures tonight. I'll speak to her now. Goodnight, Theseus. And thank you.'

Newt stood up and made to leave, but Theseus laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Come here, Newt.' Fulfilling his role as older brother, Auror and hugger, Theseus draped his arms around his little brother and pulled him into a hug.

'I can't wait to be give my speech at the wedding,' he whispered.

Newt was blushing when he finally pushed his brother away. 'Thanks,' he muttered, and Disapparated.


	2. Recruiting Queenie and Jacob

Newt was still upstairs when Queenie's shrill squeal of excitement reverberated painfully on his eardrums.

She came bounding up the stairs to meet him. They reached other on the highest wooden platform, and Queenie immediately cried, 'I'm so thrilled. What fantastic news! Of course I'll help you, Newt, anything you need. Jacob will too.' She glanced over her shoulder at Jacob, who was a few paces behind her with an Occamy across his shoulders

'Yeah 'course I will,' he said cheerfully. He scooped up the Occamy and tried to put it on the floor, but it entangled itself more firmly around his arms and he gave up. 'Attachment issues,' he muttered. Then he turned back to Newt, 'Um, so, what am I helping with?'

Newt opened his mouth to answer, but Queenie beat him to it. 'Newt's going to propose to Tina!'

Jacob's face lit up with a huge grin. 'That's big news, buddy. Anything you need, you just ask. I won't tell Tina nothing, don't you worry,' he added with a wink.

Realising that secrecy was an important point to discuss, Newt looked over at Queenie, who put on a solemn expression and crossed her heart with her finger. 'Don't worry, Newt, she ain't gonna hear it from me.'

'Good,' said Newt. He shrugged off his coat and hung it over one of the wooden rails. Time to get to business. 'So I wanted to create a separate space, somewhere special, here in the basement.'

He paused to observe his audience – Queenie was practically bouncing with excitement but thankfully, she refrained from speaking so that Newt could explain his plan to Jacob, who listened intently with bated breath.

'Queenie, I'll want some help in creating the space,' Newt continued. 'I was thinking of a location at Ilvermorny that was special to her. She's always mentioning the library…'

'Library's good,' Queenie said. 'There's this one corner with cushions and shelves and things, and even practice dummies. I can definitely help you recreate a lot of that. We'll make it a more romantic version though.'

'Excellent,' Newt said gratefully. 'And Jacob, I was hoping you could help me paint the backdrop.'

'Right you are, buddy.' Jacob tried to give a mock salute, but the Occamy had his right arm restrained and his hand never quite reached his forehead.

'And both of you,' Newt continued, glaring at the Occamy, who stuck its tongue out cheekily. 'I thought perhaps we could recreate Tina's favourite meal. Queenie, I think you'd know best.'

Queenie and Jacob exchanged excited looks. If there was one thing they loved to do together, it was cooking. 'Leave that with us, Newt,' said Queenie. 'We'll take care of the all the cooking, don't you worry.'

Newt nodded gratefully. 'Thank you. You can't possibly know how much I appreciate your help.'

'Always happy to help,' said Jacob.

'This is going to be fun,' squealed Queenie.


	3. Tina's Curiously Busy Week

The next week was a busy one. Not that Tina ever had a quiet week at work, but there was no major criminal activity nor any severe incidence of accidental magic, so she'd never expected to be quite so overrun.

Theseus showed up every morning and deposited a giant stack of paperwork at her desk. She'd raised her eyebrows at him the first time, but he looked so exhausted and overworked that she'd immediately softened.

'Of course I'll help you with the case load,' Tina said. 'Don't worry about it.'

'Thanks, Tina,' Theseus gave her a grateful smile as he turned to go back to his office. Tina could've sworn she'd glimpsed a tiny touch of cheek in that smile, but when Theseus showed up the next day looking doubly tired, she told herself that she was probably just imagining it.

She didn't notice the vial in Theseus' back pocket: 'Zonko's Finest False Eyebags and Wrinkles: Make your boss think you're working through the night.'

Tina got more efficient at pushing papers throughout the week, but Theseus seemed to lay more and more work upon her. It would be somewhere between seven and nine every evening before she finished her day's work, at which point she would sit back in her chair, yawn, and close her eyes for just a moment. Then she'd quickly pack up her belongings and head to the fireplaces, hoping to catch an hour or two in Newt's company.

But it was not to be. Leta would always catch her just as she was about to leave, begging for assistance with one of Traver's impossible tasks, or pleading for extra duelling practice (not that Leta needed it; she was easily a match for almost any Auror on the taskforce). On Friday night, when Tina was at her wits' end and had carefully practised saying 'no' in her head, Leta had shown up at her desk, tears gleaming on her cheeks and whispering almost-indecipherable phrases about an argument she'd had with Theseus. Tina, her heartstrings sufficiently manipulated, immediately caved and volunteered to spend a girls' night out with Leta.

Leta seemed to cheer up considerably after that. They ordered dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, while Leta regaled her with tales of her school days with Newt. The more they talked about Newt, the more Tina felt guilty about barely speaking to him all week.

She didn't notice the bottle in Leta's purse: 'Zonko's Finest False Lacrimony-Inducer: Crocodile tears for every occasion.'

When Tina finally Apparated on the doorstep of the flat she shared with Queenie, she was utterly exhausted. She stumbled into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Her last thought before drifting off was to note how peculiar it was the Queenie wasn't home yet; in fact, she'd returned home even later than Tina all week, claiming to have spent her evenings with Jacob. How very peculiar.

On Saturday morning, Queenie woke her sister with the scent of Jacob's fresh-baked pastries.

'Come have breakfast,' Queenie said cheerfully, trying to tug Tina out of bed. 'Then you're going to Newt's.'

'No, Queenie,' Tina replied sleepily as she got dressed. 'I'm going into the office. Theseus-'

'Theseus owled,' Queenie interrupted, thrusting a piece of parchment into Tina's hands. Tina was a little surprised to recognise Theseus' handwriting:

_Thanks for all your help this week, Tina. Don't come in today. Spend the day with my brother. You deserve it._

_Theseus_

_P.S. Don't worry and Leta and me. We're still happily married._

'Isn't it sweet?' Queenie said. 'Come on, Jacob baked Mooncalf-shaped pastries.'

Jacob's Mooncalf-shaped pastries were delicious – crisp, sweet and warm from Queenie's exceptional Heat-Preservation Charm. Altogether a highly satisfying breakfast. Tina didn't linger though. Now that Theseus had given the green light, she was anxious to spend the day with Newt.

'Have fun!' Queenie called after her as she ran out the door. Tina merely waved a hand in reply.

Tina arrived at Newt's door with a distinct 'CRACK'.

'Newt?' she called, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

'Down here, Tina!' Newt called from the basement.

Tina half-ran down the stairs. She was so eager to find Newt that she hurried straight past him – he had to reach out a hand to grab her arm.

'Oh!' she exclaimed in surprise. 'Oh, Newt, it's so good to see you. I'm sorry I haven't been 'round all week. Theseus-'

'I know,' Newt said, interrupting her rant. He looked nervous for some reason – perhaps one of the creatures was ill?

'Newt, is everyone all right? How's Elsie?'

'Elsie's fine, everyone's fine,' Newt answered. He took Tina's hand and began to lead her through the Graphorn enclosure. 'There's something I want to show you.'


	4. The Proposal

Tina's heart flipped over in her chest and her eyes suddenly prickled with unshed tears. The sight was breathtaking.

Tucked away in a corner behind the Bowtruckle trees, Newt had recreated her favourite sanctuary from her school days at Ilvermorny. The ground gradually melted from the grassy carpet of the Bowtruckles' home into a smattering of assorted cushions forming a soft bed that covered the entire floor. A tall bookcase formed one wall of the space, left of the entrance. It was heavily laden with books, exactly as she remembered, but Tina didn't look too closely – she could already make out the smart red leather of Newt's own book and knew that these titles could not be the same as those she'd read at school.

The wall opposite the bookcase appeared to be a natural wall of Newt's physical basement, but it was almost completely obscured by a set of mannequins, just like the ones on which she used to practice every new hex, curse and jinx she learned. The gentle golden light reflected off the metal and cast strange shadows onto the canvas that formed the back wall.

The backdrop was exquisite. It was clearly painted by hand, the No-Maj way, because Tina's sharp eyes could spot imperfections in the brushstrokes, but that only made it all the more special. The canvas displayed the stone walls of Ilvermorny castle, complete with graffitied scratches of 'Joseph was here' or 'Glory to Wampus!'. Set into the stone was a beautiful arched window, framed with gold, through which Tina could see the flag fluttering from the North tower and a team of Quadpot players practising in the grounds. In the distance, Tina could just make out the tops of the trees in one of Massachusetts's dense forests.

Tina carefully walked through the space, feeling the touch of the cushions beneath her feet, reaching out to the cold metal of the practice mannequins. She dared not venture too close to the backdrop, as if she was afraid she'd fall in, but she stood a few feet away and gazed at it – for how long, she did not know. She was vaguely aware of Newt standing behind her, watching her intently, but she was so absorbed, so touched by this gift that she didn't turn around. This space in the library had been her sanctuary, a place where she could find a spot of solitude to study and practise for her ultimate goal of becoming an Auror. Even Queenie never bothered her here; she didn't want to accidentally read Tina's mind when she was studying counter-curses to particularly gruesome Dark Magic.

Despite looking and feeling exactly like the space she remembered, Newt's recreation was distinctly different. As her eyes got used to the space, Tina was finally able to focus on a different sense: her sense of smell. Pulling her eyes away from the stunning backdrop, she followed her nose to the bookcase, and gave a delighted exclamation of 'Oh!' when she saw what Newt had done.

Tina glanced at Newt briefly and saw that he was looking happier than ever. He nodded encouragement at her, and she reached up to the shelves and removed several books, tossing them onto the cushions below. There, hidden behind the books, was a set of dishes containing all of Tina's favourites – the chicken soup her mother used to make, Queenie's iconic meatloaf with peas and carrots, Jacob's Occamy pastries with strawberry filling, a perfectly golden strudel, and a large jug of spiced pumpkin juice.

Utterly overwhelmed, with unshed tears still brimming in her eyes, Tina turned to Newt. 'Newt, this is incredi-'

Tina clapped a hand over her mouth, and the tears that had accumulated in her eyes began to fall in earnest.

While she was admiring the meal, Newt had silently crept closer to her. He was barely two feet away, propped up on one knee and presenting an open box containing a gleaming silver ring.

Newt took a deep breath.

…

_Earlier that day_

'Jacob, how exactly do I ask her?'

It was hard to understand Newt when he had his wand between his teeth, but Jacob managed all the same.

'Well, you just gotta say what you mean, you know? Speak from the heart,' Jacob replied, not looking up from the golden windowframe that he was painting.

Newt put down his paintbrush and took his wand in his hand to Summon some more green paint. '_Accio_. But Jacob, there's a lot I want to say. But I want her to understand me. Unlike our conversation in the French Ministry. She needs to understand me if there's a chance she'll say 'yes'. And, well, you're the best person to ask, Jacob – after all, you got Queenie to say 'yes' to you. And you're my friend.'

Jacob put down his paintbrush and looked up at Newt, who was watching Jacob intently, as if trying to catch onto every word of wisdom. Jacob sighed inwardly, feeling a very real sense of _déjà vu_.

'Look,' he said, deciding Newt needed a little help. 'You just tell her you love her, and that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. And then you ask her to marry you. Simple as that.'

'Right,' said Newt, concentrating hard to commit this to memory. 'Thanks, Jacob. I really appreciate your help with, you know, everything.'

'Any time, buddy,' said Jacob cheerfully, returning to the golden window frame. 'Besides, you and me are gonna be brothers soon. You marry Tina, I marry Queenie…' Jacob trailed off, chuckling to himself, but Newt wasn't listening. He was too busy reciting his proposal speech under his breath.

…

Newt forced himself to make eye contact with Tina, who was crying opening as he held her hand with one of his own and clutched the ring box with his other hand.

'Tina, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' He spoke slowly and carefully, but his words were saturated with emotion. 'Will you marry me?'

'Yes!' Tina managed to say. 'Yes, Newt, I will. Of course, I will.'

Newt was so stunned for a moment that he froze, but he quickly came to his senses when Tina tugged at his hand to pull him back onto his feet. She collapsed into his arms, and as he stood there in a little slice of paradise, the scent of Queenie and Jacob's best cooking wafting around them and the girl of his dreams in his arms, Newt felt like the happiest man on the planet.


End file.
